Once a Tuareg rebel and later a Malian diplomat, Iyad Ag Ghaly has risen to prominence as the leader of the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), an alliance formed in 2017.

Wanted across the Sahel, he faces international sanctions, including a United Nations blacklist, a U.S. terrorism designation, and an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The country’s security situation has deteriorated sharply following coordinated jihadist assaults on April 25 and 26, carried out by JNIM fighters in collaboration with the predominantly Tuareg Azawad Liberation Front (FLA).

The unprecedented wave of attacks targeted key military positions in multiple regions, leaving the government in Bamako scrambling to regain control. Among the casualties was Defense Minister Sadio Camara, a 47-year-old central figure in the ruling junta, who died in a suicide bombing.

In response, authorities announced a financial bounty for the capture or elimination of seven high-profile figures. The rewards include €2.2 million for Amadou Kouffa, another prominent JNIM commander, as well as for two FLA leaders: Alghabass Ag Intalla and Bilal Ag Cherif.

«The Ministry of Security and Civil Protection is offering financial compensation to anyone providing verified, actionable intelligence that leads to the arrest or neutralization of these individuals,» stated an official announcement broadcast on national television.

«These suspects are actively pursued for their alleged roles in planning, organizing, and executing deadly terrorist acts that have endangered public safety and property across the nation,» the statement added.

The country has grappled with a severe security crisis since 2012, fueled by escalating violence from JNIM, the Islamic State, and various armed communal factions.